1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a video camera apparatus for taking an image and generating a video signal from the image and a video monitor system including the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A video monitor system including a monitor site including a display monitor and a video camera site remote from the monitor site, the video camera site including a video camera unit for receiving an image around the video camera unit and generating transmitting the video signal to the video monitor site, is known.
On the other hand, Japanese patent application provisional publication No. 9-134216 discloses a camera including a shock detector, a clock, and a memory for storing data of the shock (damage) and the date data. Moreover, Japanese patent application provisional publication No. 9-297693 discloses a video camera which detects a trouble thereof and generates trouble analysis data and transmits it to a center where a monitoring person monitors the condition of the video camera, or home use electric apparatus such as an electric refrigerator.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a superior video camera apparatus and a superior video monitor system.
According to the present invention there is provided a video camera apparatus including: an imaging unit for imaging an image around the video camera apparatus and generating and outputting a video signal from the image; an operation portion responsive to a command signal for effecting one of predetermined operations regarding the imaging unit; a historic data generating portion responsive to the operation portion for generating historic data indicative of one of predetermined operations; a non-volatile memory; a memory control portion responsive to the historic data generating portion for storing the historic data in the non-volatile memory; and a data outputting portion for reading the historic data from the non-volatile memory and outputting the historic data in response to a data reading request.
The video camera apparatus may further include: a power-on detector for detecting turning on of a power supply for the video camera apparatus, wherein the historic data generating portion starts generating the historic data in response to the power on detector and the memory control portion stores the historic data in response to the power-on detector.
The video camera apparatus may further include: a preset operation data storing portion for storing preset operation data, the operation portion effects a preset operation in accordance with the preset operation data as one of predetermined operations; and a counter responsive to the operation portion for counting the number of times of the preset operations, wherein the memory control portion stores the result of the counter as the historic data.
The video camera apparatus may further include a timer, wherein the memory control portion stores the result of the counter every predetermined interval as a total in response to the timer.
The video camera apparatus may further include: a preset operation data storing portion for storing preset operation data, the operation portion effects a preset operation in accordance with the preset operation data as one of predetermined operations; and a time measuring circuit for measuring an interval of the preset operation, wherein the memory control portion stores the result of the time measuring circuit as the historic data.
The video camera apparatus may further include: a timer for measuring a predetermined interval, wherein the memory control portion stores the result of the time measuring circuit for every predetermined interval as a total.
The video camera apparatus may further include: a trouble item data storing portion for storing a plurality of trouble item data; a trouble detecting portion for detecting a trouble occurring with one of predetermined operations effected by the operation portion; a judging portion for Judging which one of the trouble item data corresponds to the trouble, wherein the memory control portion stores data of the trouble every trouble item data in accordance with the Judging result of judging portion. In this case, the video camera apparatus may further include a counter for counting the number of times of occurrence of the trouble and a latest trouble detecting portion responsive to the trouble detecting portion for detecting the latest trouble, wherein the memory control portion stores data of the number of times of the troubles and data of the latest trouble.
The video camera apparatus may further include a mechanical moving portion and a limit detection circuit for detecting when the mechanical moving portion reaches a limit; a counter for counting the number of times the mechanical moving portion reaches the limit; a timer for measuring a predetermined interval, wherein the memory control portion stores data of the number of times the predetermined interval occurs.
The video camera apparatus may further include a communicating circuit for communicating with an external controller, wherein the memory control portion stores data regarding communicating with the external controller as the historic data.
The video camera apparatus may further include a temperature measuring circuit for measuring a temperature inside the video camera apparatus and a humidity measuring circuit for measuring a humidity inside the video camera apparatus, wherein the memory control portion stores the temperature and humidity as the historic data.
According to this invention there is provided a video monitor system including: a video camera unit including an imaging unit for imaging an image around the video camera apparatus and generating and outputting a video signal from the image, an operation portion responsive to a command signal for effecting one of predetermined operations regarding the imaging unit, a historic data generating portion responsive to the operation portion for generating historic data indicative of one of predetermined operations, a non-volatile memory; a memory control portion responsive to the historic data generating portion for storing the historic data in the non-volatile memory, and a data outputting portion for reading the historic data from the non-volatile memory and transmitting the historic data in response to a data reading request; and a monitor site including a display monitor for displaying the image in response to the video signal, a data request portion for transmitting a request for transmitting the historic data, a data receiving portion for receiving the historic data from the video camera unit, and a data display for displaying the historic data from the data receiving portion.